EASTER TABLESCAPE: Happy Spring

Celebrate spring in style this year with a fabulous Easter table scape.

Fresh flower, jelly beans

and chocolate bunnies hiding in grass, make a refreshing playful Easter Table!

White ice cream bowls were the perfect container for the grass.

How fun for each person to find a chocolate bunny hiding.

I found these chocolate bunnies at World Market.

The woven placemats brings the Easter basket to the table with out having an actual basket. I bought these at World Market.

Chocolate bunnies everywhere!

This adorable Easter/Spring cupcake kit from World Market added a whimsical element to my Easter table.

Look at the little chick cupcake picks…sooooo cute!

Hello little chicks!!

Thank you Spring Sweet for helping me create this beautiful floral centerpiece. We used hydrangeas, white and peach roses and wax flowers for texture. These flowers are set in a white milk vase. Spring has beautiful fresh flowers all year around. Stop in and create your own centerpiece or have Spring create one for you! Spring Sweet

Beautiful roses!

And chocolate bunnies…

Create your Easter table scape by using fresh flowers, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans. I would love to see what you created. Download your picture on to my facebook page and I will post it on my blog. HAPPY EASTER…HAPPY SPRING!!

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GRASS PLANTING PARTY: Birthing Spring

At this time every year I start getting a little depressed with all the snow and dreariness. In Holland, Michigan the sun does not shine often in the winter months. A friend of mine back in Wheaton plants grass in March to bring spring into her house. Such a good idea Terry! So I decided to have a “Grass Growing” Party of my own. What a fun evening! Everyone brought their own containers and I provided the grass and the soil.

I bought perennial rye grass from my local hardware store and fertilized planting soil. The process is super easy.

1. Place soil in containers
2. Add water
3. Sprinkle seeds on top (Do not push the seeds down into the soil)
4. Spray water on top of the seeds
5. Cover with a wet paper towel
6. Every day I spray water on top of the paper towel to keep it moist
7. When the seeds start to sprout, remove the paper towel, and keep it by a window
8. Continue to spray with water
9. In about 8 days the grass should be about 1 inch tall
10. As the grass grows you can give it a little trim whenever it needs it.
11. ENJOY!

Here is Melissa’s grass after just 7 days…so fun, so fresh, so green, so spring!!

And you know me, I can’t have people over and not serve something yummy! So I made a White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta topped with my homemade Strawberry Jam with Lime Zest and Coconut Rum…YUM!

Panna Cotta is a creamy Italian custard. It is made with just 4 ingredients; cream, flavorless gelatin, white chocolate & vanilla bean. Place gelatin in a small bowl with a little water, stir and let it set. Then pour it into a metal bowl along with chopped white chocolate. Heat the cream and vanilla bean in a saute pan, remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot cream onto the white chocolate and gelatin. Let it sit for 1 minute then whisk until the chocolate is melted and creamy. Pour into the container of your choice.

Look at this bite of creamy goodness! Love the flecks of vanilla!

And for a fun presentation I place them on a DIY cake stand that my friend Sheryl Wright made for me.

So if you are tired of winter and getting a little depressed, invite some women over and grow a little grass. There is nothing like bring a little spring into your home when you are tired of the winter. Really, spring is just around the corner!! I am going to use my grass on my Easter Table…

White Chocolate and Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta

Yield: 12 mason jars

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 5 min

Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

• 1 vanilla bean, split with the seeds scraped out, pod reserved
• 2 cups heavy cream
• ¼ cup sugar
• 6 oz white chocolate, morsels or cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp gelatin (1 0.25 oz sachet)
• 2 tsp water

Directions:

1. Add cream, vanilla seeds, vanilla pod and sugar to a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the cream begins to steam and the sugar has dissolved, make sure not to boil the cream.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl add the gelatin to the water and stir. Set aside. (It should turn to solid almost instantly).
3. Once the cream is heated remove the vanilla pod and discard. Place white chocolate chips into a medium sized metal bowl and pour the hot cream over them and add the gelatin and water mixture. Stir to dissolve the chips and gelatin making sure there are no lumps of chocolate or gelatin.
4. Let sit for a couple of minutes than pour the mixture into a measuring. Pour the panna cotta in the container of your choice. I used mason jars.
5. Top with jam. And store in fridge until serving

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BEARY SWEET DESSERT TABLE: recipes

For the “Beary” Sweet Dessert Table, I made some very “berry” sweet desserts.

Using letter stamps, I made this banner, taped it to some baker’s twine and tied it to bamboo skewers. Easy and adorable!

The show piece of this dessert table is a STRAWBERRY LAYERED CREAM CAKE..yum! This cake was moist, dense, rich and DELICIOUS!!

On each cake layer I brushed my strawberry jam. Melting the jam in a saute pan allowed it to become syrupy.

After the jam, I spread on the mixture of whipped cream, cream cheese and sugar. The cake would have collapsed if I just used whipped cream. Adding cream cheese created a thicker “cream” filling.

Then I topped it with strawberries. The beauty of this simple macerated strawberries recipe is that it provides a way to add life to berries that aren’t ripe enough or are a little past their prime. A sprinkle of sugar and a drizzle of lime juice transforms a ho-hum package of strawberries into a flavorful, juicy dessert.

Beautiful! Place in the fridge for an hour before serving to allow the cream filling to set so the cake does not collapse.

Simple cupcakes? NO! Le petit gateau de ganache au chocolat is a fitting name for this decadent dessert. I found this recipe on Cook’s Illustrated. Bravo to them! These are the best chocolate cupcakes I have ever made! The flavors are so wonderful that calling it a cupcake simply did not do it justice!

According to Cook’s Illustrated, the end result is a “chocolate ganache-filled cupcake with a chocolatey but moist crumb and a mound of chocolate buttercream on top”. They achieved this by using BREAD flour which has a higher protein content which allows them to add more chocolate.  (You can find how they created this recipe here.)

The chocolate italian butter cream frosting is the best frosting I have ever had. It is a little more work but it is worth it!! Rachel, my sous-chef for the day, cut the corner of a large zip-locked bag, put a pastry tip into the hole, filled the bag with the cream frosting, and frosted the petit gateaus. When she was done we could hardly wait to bite into these chocolatey, gooey, moist, creamy, wonderful cakes. OH MY GOSH!!  I can’t not even begin to explain how good these are! This is now my GO TO chocolate cupcake recipe. I will NEVER make another chocolate cupcake recipe again. Thank you COOKS ILLUSTRATED!

Thank you Rachel for helping make these wonderful desserts! We make a great team!! Thank you also Terese for your never ending friendship, support, & guidance!

Who would have thought mason jars tied with pink & white baker’s twine could be the vessel for such a sophisticated dessert. Sophisticated yet simple!! Warmed cream, flavorless gelatin, white chocolate & a vanilla bean are all the ingredients you need. Place gelatin in a small bowl with a little water, stir and let it set. Pour it into a metal bowl along with the white chocolate. Heat the cream and vanilla bean in a saute pan, remove the vanilla bean and pour the hot cream onto the white chocolate and gelatin. Let it sit for 1 minute then whisk until the chocolate is melted and creamy. Pour into the container of your choice.

Top with a little whipped cream and raspberries.

And to tie in the theme of “Beary” sweet I made a shortbread cookie in shape of a teddy bear. The heart was an added touch…don’t you love it! I made the little holes with the end of a toothpick.

So much love for this couple and their baby!!!

Fresh flowers always add a beautiful element to any table. Can you believe I bought these at D&W? They are gorgeous!

Dawn & Scott, what a celebration for your son, Franklin and daughter-in-law, Jo and your soon to be grand baby girl! We love you all and think the world of you! Franklin and Jo are fortunate to have you!!

You know what I just figured out? This is what I LOVE to do…dessert tables! I was with my sister Jacqueline today and I was showing her these pictures and she said why don’t you have a business that does dessert tables. She is right! Friday I was out with 2 wonderful friends and Terese said the same thing. I love working with people, finding out who they are and what they love, creating a theme for the table that reflects who they are and then making desserts that WOWs everyone! I am in my 50s and I just figured out what I want to do when I grow up. Pathetic? Or Exciting? Maybe a little of both!

Here are the recipes for the Strawberry Cream Cake and the Chocolate Cup Cakes and Shortbread Cookies

Strawberry Layered Cream Cake

Yield: 10

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 30 min

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter, soft
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 eggs, at room temperature
2 cups of buttermilk, well shaken

2 pints strawberries, sliced thin saving a few in tact for decoration
¼ cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 – 8 oz bars of cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar
1 jar of strawberry jam
1 lime (zest of lime and juice)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and butter/dust with flour 2 cake pans.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Beat soft butter and sugar together until fluffy.
4. Add vanilla to butter and sugar and mix in.
5. Add one egg at a time to the butter and sugar mixture then lastly incorporate the buttermilk.
6. Finally, add the flour to the wet ingredients in three batches. Mix well to combine making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
7. Divide batter between the two cake pans and hit the pans on the counter to settle the batter, making sure there are no air bubbles. The batter will seem to thick and you'll be nervous. It will only fill the pans about half way.
8. Bake the cakes at 350 for 35 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool for 10-15 minutes before running a knife around the sides to remove.
9. While the cakes are baking cut strawberries and mix gently with ¼ cup sugar. Let sit to macerate.
10. While the cakes cool, whip the pint of cream.
11. Whip the cream cheese with vanilla and tablespoon and sugar.
12. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
13. Melt the jam and add the zest and juice of one lime.
14. To assemble, lay one cake on large plate, and brush the strawberry jam on top.
15. Top with half the whipped cream and half the sliced berries. Gently add next cake and finish with remaining cream and berries.
16. Place back in fridge for 1 hour before serving to allow the cream mixture to set.

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES W/CHOCOLATE ITALIAN BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

INGREDIENTS
Ganache Filling
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon confectioners' sugar
Chocolate Cupcakes
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped fine
• 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa
• 3/4 cup hot, strong-brewed coffee
• 3/4 cup (4 1/8 ounces) bread flour
• 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Creamy Chocolate Frosting
• 1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg whites
• pinch table salt
• 12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into Tablespoon pieces
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled to 85-100 degrees
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:
1. For the ganache filling, place chocolate, cream, and confectioners' sugar in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power until mixture is warm to the touch, 20-30 seconds. Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator. Let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.
2. For the cupcakes, Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
3. Place chocolate and cocoa in a medium bowl, and pour hot coffee over the mixture. Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, 20-30 minutes.
4. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.
5. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.
6. Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups, filling each 3/4 full. Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of the ganache filling on top of each cupcake.
7. Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-19 minutes. Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
8. For the frosting, combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over a small saucepan of simmering water, and whisking constantly, cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, foamy, and registers 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 2-4 minutes.
9. Fit bowl to stand mixer, and with the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed, until mixture is the consistency of shaving cream and slightly cooled, 1-3 minutes. Add butter 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy. The frosting may look curdled halfway through, but it will smooth out eventually.
10. Once all the butter as been added, pour in the cooled chocolate and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Increase speed to medium-high and until light and fluffy, another 30 seconds to a minute.
11. Frost cupcakes as desired.

Recipe Source: Cook's Illustrated, May/June 2010 (See link above)

SHORTBREAD COOKIES
INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 cups butter, room temperature
• 1 cup of icing sugar (or confectioners sugar)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
• 2 egg yolks

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the butter, salt, sugar and nutmeg in a bowl.
3. Add the eggs one at a time and mix thoroughly until the shortbread dough is light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour slowly, mixing after each addition.
5. When the dough is too thick to mix with a spoon, turn it out onto a floured work surface.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is 1/4 inch thick.
7. Using cookie cutters, cut your shortbread into shapes. Transfer the shapes to a non-stick baking sheet.
8. Using a toothpick, poke holes to form a heart.
9. Bake until done. This takes about ten minutes.

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BEARY SWEET: A Baby Shower Dessert Table

A BEARY SWEET dessert table for a very sweet couple. (This post is about the decorations for the dessert table. My next post will include the desserts and recipes.) Aren’t those bears adorable? And so easy to make! I used clothes pins to attach the bears and the hearts to twine for the banner behind the dessert table.

The first step is choosing fabric that work together. The nursery colors are ballet pink, gray and brown so I chose fabrics that work well together. Then I made a pattern for the bear and cut the fabric using the pattern. I made another pattern slightly smaller and cut out the quilting stuffing using that pattern. I cut the stuffing double thick then added layers at the tummy and head to give it a little more dimension. The hearts were made out of an old pleated, linen shirt that I don’t wear any more. I used the same process as the bears except I didn’t stuff them because I wanted them to be thinner than the bears.

Aren’t those red clothes pins adorable?

For a few of the bears I added embellishments. For the above bear I took a rub-on saying and rubbed it on the linen fabric. I used a spray adhesive to secure the linen fabric to the bear.

I embellished a few of the bears with buttons and ribbons. I just love the flower and the heart buttons. And I used a little baker’s twine as a ribbon around one of the bears neck. For the ribbons, I sewed them on the fabric before I cut out the bear pattern…so easy!

Look at this adorable pleated heart. The pleats were already in the shirt. If you don’t have fabric to use you can go to the Goodwill store and see what shirts they have. Try to stick with 100% cotton or linen.

Most of the desserts on the table had some type of berries in them or on them. And the “Beary Sweet” banner was a perfect touch. I cut out the paper, stamped each triangle and glued them together on baker’s twine. After tying them to the long kebob skewers I stuck the kabobs into the cake.  Such a cute touch!

Happy baby shower Franklin and Jo!

The recipes will be available in my next post.

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